Seeking Darkness, Choosing Hope
by TalysAlankil
Summary: When Riku is fatally wounded fighting the Dark One, Sora has but one choice to save him. Fic for Soriku Week 2019, with the prompt "Curse".


"Riku!"

Sora's pained cry felt like it was swallowed by the woods, muffled before it had even reached anyone who could hear him. Who could _help_.

Sora dashed to his friend's side—his companion, his partner, his ally, the one who always had his back. The one with whom Sora had fought dragons and broken curses and traveled to other realms. His _love_, though he'd never gotten to say as much out loud.

And now he was lying on the forested ground, bleeding from a stap in his gut. His look was already half-vacant by the time Sora reached him, but he still managed to blink and focus on Sora, albeit uneasily.

"You'll be okay—" Panic seeped into Sora's voice. "There's gotta be something—"

"Sora—"

"A magic item you picked up? A friend with magic who owes us? Pease, tell me there's someone I can _call_—"

"Sora, it's okay."

It wasn't, but Sora didn't manage to say—all he had was tears in his eyes. "It was meant for me," he said, looking at the dagger in Riku's hands. He had pulled it out, which had made the bleeding worse, though Sora knew there was no surviving this wound. The Dark One's dagger was enchanted; even the smallest cut was fatal. "You shouldn't have—"

"Of course I did," Riku said—barely a whisper. "You're—"

His eyes closed before he finished his sentence. Sora could still see the laborious movements of his chest; he'd only passed out, although even that would not last long.

Sora let out a frustrated scream, unable to find a way to help Riku. Yet there _had_ to be a way. I couldn't end like this—it just _couldn't_.

"You're wrong about one thing."

The deep, familiar voice startled Sora, who leapt to his feet. Just a few paces away stood the Dark One himself—Ansem, with his white hair, burning golden eyes, and leather cloak. The owner of the dagger that had struck Riku down.

Sora narrowed his eyes, but his fighting spirit was broken—not that it would help him much against such a powerful entity. "What do you—"

"It wasn't meant for you. I never miss." His contempt was obvious, and hit Sora like a physical blow. "Or rather, I knew exactly what he'd do."

"But—" Sora's voice and in spite of himself, his tears started to flow. "_Why?_ Why would you want to kill Riku?"

"Oh, you're very mistaken. I have no intention of killing Riku."

Sora blinked in confusion. "What—"

"There is only one way to heal a wound caused by the dagger." He smirked. "For him to become the Dark One himself." He raised a hand, his eyes taking on a feverish, fanatical look. "The only thing strong enough to stave off its dark power…is that very same dark power itself."

"You're _crazy_ if you think I—" Sora glanced at Riku. He was still breathing—but not for long.

"Oh? Weren't you desperately trying to find a way to defeat me?" Ansem raised an eyebrow. "I'm offering myself up as a sacrifice, _and_ you get to save him. What better deal _is_ there?" He let out a dark chuckle. "Unless you'd rather watch him die, then go back to hunting me. Though I must warn you, I won't leave myself this open again."

Sora hesitated. He knew what being the Dark One meant: cosmic powers and near-total immortality, but it came at a cost; the Dark One's magic was as dark as Ansem said it was. Corruptive. If Riku was presented with this choice, would he take it? Or would he rather choose to die?

But Riku was passed out, and Sora doubted he'd ever wake up unless Sora did something about it. And Ansem was right about one thing. He wouldn't watch Riku die.

"I'll do it," he said. "I'll—help him kill you."

Ansem's cruel smile reappeared. "Well let's hurry up before it's too late, then."

He walked over to him, and knelt beside Riku, opposite from where Sora stood. Being this close to him made Sora's skin crawl, but he focused on the task at hand. Saving Riku first; everything else would come later. He knelt, closing his hand over Riku's fist, still gripping the dagger's handle.

"This will work, right? He _will_ become the Dark One and heal?" Sora had no idea how this magic worked; if he ended up becoming the Dark One himself, and Riku died, it would have been a waste.

Well, at least Ansem would still be dead. Somewhere, deep within Sora's heart, a furious voice felt satisfied at this thought.

Ansem made an exasperated face. "_Yes_," he said, sounding outraged that Sora had even asked. "Now get on with it."

Riku's breath was shallower still; Sora couldn't wait any longer. He took a deep breath, and, guiding Riku's hand, plunged the dagger right into Ansem's heart.

The Dark One let out a gasp, sounding almost surprised as the life fled from his eyes. He started falling, but before his body could even hit the ground, it turned into wisps of a thick, ink-black, oily smoke. Sora stared at it, transfixed, even though he knew he should be scared.

After just a moment of hovering in the air, the smoke drove into Riku's body, causing Sora to cry out in shock and fear.

Then, everything fell silent—so silent, Sora could see that Riku was now perfectly still. Had Ansem tricked him?

"What the—"

Riku's eyes flew upon as he gasped for air, causing Sora to flinch backwards and land on the forest soil. "Sora? What's—"

Then Riku vanished too, turning into black smoke as well.

"Riku!" Sora cried again, but it was in vain. He was gone.

All that was left behind was the Dark One's dagger. Sora stared at it, afraid to pick it up, as though it would somehow hurt him if he did. But even from where he was, he could see the name engraved on the blade change.

Change to _Riku_.

* * *

For a moment, Riku felt like he was trapped. Lost in the dark.

Then, just as suddenly as the feeling had overcome him, it was ripped from him, and he was pulled back into existence. He could feel tendrils of oily smoke—the Darkness's true form—emerge from a grate on the ground, even though he could feel or see nothing else. They swirled, and slowly, formed into a human shape.

_His_ shape, he realized, as his mind snapped to consciousness.

Riku looked around himself. He'd been here before—the Dark One's vault, though the name was a misnomer. It was more of a shrine out in the woods of the Enchanted Forest. And he'd emerged from it. Which could only mean—

"Finally you awaken."

Riku turned to the voice, and found Ansem standing a safe distance away, considering him with a pleased smirk. "Ansem!" Riku called angrily. What was the meaning of this? How had Riku ended up here?

It didn't matter. Ansem was his enemy. He needed to—

His hand shot out in front of him before he could properly think about it, and the rocks in front of him exploded into shards. Yet the invisible force passed through Ansem, leaving him perfectly unharmed. "You're learning well," Ansem said.

_Learning?_ Had he done this? "I don't have magic," he said. He stared at his own hand, and was shocked to see it covered with a thick black fabric. Looking down at himself, he saw he was wearing an entire outfit made of the thing. "What the—" He turned back to Ansem. "What did you do to me?"

"What did _I_ do? No, you have it backwards. The question is, what did _you_ do to _me_."

Riku froze, but his brain was putting the pieces together, whether he liked it or not. "If I'm here, and I have magic—" He shook his head. "But the only way I could become the Dark One is if I killed you."

"Your friend provided some help. So _desperate_ to _save_ you."

Riku let out a soft gasp. Sora. _He'd_ done this? "But if I killed you, and became the Dark One, how are you here?"

Ansem smiled. "I'm not."

Just then, another voice called from afar. "Riku! Riku, are you here? Please tell me you're—"

Sora emerged from the trees, and though his eyes grew wide when he saw Riku, he only paused for a moment before throwing himself at him, wrapping his arms around him.

"Oh, _Riku_! When you vanished, I thought—" He shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're here. I thought this place might be where—" Sora pulled away, looking around with a shudder. "Ugh. Gloomy as ever. But I guess for once it served its purpose."

Riku stared at him, incredulous, as Sora's gaze brushed over Ansem. In response, Ansem's smile only grew. "As I said, I'm not here." He tapped his forehead. "I'm _there_."

"The Darkness's corrupting influence," Riku said under his breath.

"What was that?" Sora asked, returning his attention to him.

Riku shook his head. "Nothing." Riku had dealt with Ansem pulling his strings before. He could do it again.

Looking at Ansem's triumphant face, he _hoped_ he could do it again.

Sora seemed unaware of his turmoil. "Oh! Almost forgot. Here."

He held out his hand, and Riku caught the glint of a blade. Before he could think, his hand was up, and a gust of unnatural wind blew—then Riku realized what he was doing, and stopped. This was _Sora_. There was no way he was—

Riku looked at the weapon in his hand, and recognized it. "It's—"

"The Dark One's dagger," Sora said, somber. "_Your_ dagger now. You should take it. Anyone who carries it can control you—it's too dangerous to leave it."

"My—" So it was true. He was the Dark One now.

"I—" Sora nodded. "I'm sorry. I had no choice."

Riku shook his head. "I'm not angry at you." Glancing at Ansem, he just hoped they didn't live to regret it. Before Riku had shaken off the Dark One's control over him, he _had_ served his dark plans for a long time—until Sora had shown up. What if he fell to the darkness again, now that it was within him?

The solution to that problem was obvious. The only form of magic stronger than dark magic. Even if Riku had never said the words out loud.

"Keep it," Riku said.

Sora's eyes grew wide. "But I—"

"I'm serious. You said it yourself—it can be used to control me. Kill me, even. So I want you to have it." He reached out for Sora's hand, but only to close Sora's fingers on the dagger's handle. "If I ever—" He couldn't finish that sentence, but the way Sora's lips parted told him that he understood. "I trust you to use it wisely."

"Riku, I—"

"Promise me that you will, Sora."

Pain and guilt were swirling in Sora's eyes. He lowered his gaze to the dagger in his outstretched hand, then raised the dagger to his chest, pressing the handle and his hand against his heart. "I promise, Riku."

A dark chuckle caught Riku's attention, as Ansem appeared right next to Sora.

"Promise all you want. It won't help you."

_We'll see_, Riku thought. He may have been the Darkness's pawn, and he may have taken it within him now, but he'd be damned if he didn't fight it as hard as he could.

For his sake, and Sora's.


End file.
